LISBON, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced on Friday the arrival in the city of Porto of thousands of personal protective equipment for coronavirus disease on an Ethiopian Airlines plane.
"There are happy coincidences. When we landed in Porto today, it was a coincidence that I caught the exact moment when thousands of personal protective equipment, protective suits and masks were unloaded," Costa said in a tweet.
The prime minister said that Portugal is "reinforcing purchases and receiving more donations."
"Soon, all of this equipment, which is so necessary, will be distributed where it is most needed," he said.
The shipment includes 4.6 million masks, 56,000 suits and 20,000 boots, a government source was quoted by Lusa News Agency as saying.
On Friday, Portugal reported 76 deaths associated with COVID-19, 16 more than on Thursday, and 4,268 confirmed infections, 724 more than the previous day -- an increase of 20.4 percent, according to the daily bulletin of the Directorate-General for Health released on Friday.
Meanwhile, more than 4,500 doctors, among them many already retired, have registered to reinforce the National Health Service during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Medical Association said on Friday.
